


Steel Trap

by DaisyChainz



Series: Kylux Positivity Week 2021 [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Befuddled Kylo, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Kylux Positivity Week (Star Wars), M/M, Pre-Slash, Star Wars Modern AU, waiter kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29771460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyChainz/pseuds/DaisyChainz
Summary: KPW Day 4: Oh No, He's HotWaiter Kylo isn't friendly and bubbly. But his regulars love him because he Never forgets Anything.So it Really throws him, the day the cute ginger sits in his section, and he can't even remember his own name
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren
Series: Kylux Positivity Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188683
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19
Collections: Kylux Positivity Week the 3rd





	Steel Trap

Kylo walked through the dining room, his arms stacked with plates. He took them to table A-3, naming the dishes as he passed them around. 

"Pigs in a blanket, breakfast special, house Rachael," he paused as he fished the little sealed packs of syrup out of his apron pocket. "More iced tea?" He asked pointedly, to the woman receiving the syrup. 

She drained the last, then handed him the glass. "Yes please." 

"I'll bring you a top-off for your coffee and another round of creamers." He told the man sitting across from her, turning away before he could do more than nod. 

Kylo took the coffee pot to two more tables, while he dropped off a check and the extra packs of dressing requested for an anticipated salad. 

Two more of his weekly regulars came in as he was making a new pot of coffee, he waved and they seated themselves. They would be happy, D1, their preferred table by the window, was open. 

After he got the coffee started he pulled out his pad and scribbled an order, sticking it on the cook's spike. The cook, a petite Vietnamese woman named Rose, un-skewered the tiny piece of paper and slapped it on the counter to await its order. "Waste of paper." She complained, her usual line. "I started their food as soon as I saw them pass the window." The cooking burger sizzled as she pressed it with her giant metal spatula. 

Not bothering to answer, Kylo fixed their drinks and carried them over, with the ketchup and mustard bottle already in his apron. He gave them a gruff 'good morning', dropped everything off, and went to check on his other tables. 

Some might find it odd that a restaurant served dinner all day; usually it was breakfast all day. But the First Order Diner wasn't like other places. You could get anything on the menu you wanted, any time, and they were open from 6am to midnight. The food was delicious, fast, and the employees weren't rude. They weren't Friendly, either. If warm smiles and chit chat were what you wanted, you went down the street to the The Coruscant; a four-star sit-down, with appetizers and daily specials. 

Kylo was the exact opposite of those who worked down the street. He wasn't warm and cheerful, but his regulars loved him. It was almost as though he could read minds, because he always knew what they wanted before they did. 

Need an extra syrup packet? Already on its way. Ketchup getting low? He would bring a new bottle before you could think to call him to the table. He never forgot to ask how you wanted your food cooked or which sides, and he never got an order wrong. And if your order seemed to be taking too long, he would always cruise by with a "I'll go check on your food", before you even had a chance to check the time. 

Kylo was never one for standing around making friends, but he was the favorite server in the diner. 

That morning Kylo heard the bell over the door, as he was dropping off an order to A1. He checked to make certain no one needed anything else, then turned his attention to see who had come in. 

There was a tall, thin redhead, standing politely inside the door. He was neatly dressed, and holding a book and a tablet in one arm. He looked towards Kylo and his brain blanked completely out. He was possibly the most beautiful man Kylo had laid eyes on. 

"Do I seat myself?" He finally asked in a clipped tone, with a smooth accent. He was even British. Kylo's heart thumped twice, loudly. 

Then he realized he had been standing in the middle of the floor staring. He shook himself. "Yeah! Uh, wherever." He waved dumbly, then realized the tables he was motioning to were all taken. He blushed, all the way to his ears, he just knew it, and turned away mumbling, "I'll get you a menu." When he looked back, the new customer had seated himself at C2. 

The man was reaching into his shirt pocket, pulling out a pair of glasses and putting them on as he returned. Kylo held out the menu, not even registering the menu leaving his hand. The glasses were a nice touch, very nice. They were expensive looking, wire framed, and made him look even more refined and mouth-watering. 

After a moment Kylo realized the man was looking up at him. He blinked, unable to think of anything to say. 

Finally, frowning, the man asked "do you have any specials today?" 

"Uh." 

"On a board, or a specials menu perhaps?" 

"We don't do specials." 

"Ah." He replied, looking back at the menu. Finally he flipped it, looking at the bottom. "I'll start with a hot tea, please. Do you carry anything beside black?" 

"Just one kind." Kylo managed, his brain making a momentary effort. 

The man looked back up at him for a long moment, expectantly. Finally he said, with a tone that was equal parts annoyed and puzzled, "then I suppose I'll take the black?" 

"Uh, sure." Said Kylo, and turned and walked mechanically back behind the lunch bar to fix his tea. 

He already had ice in the cup and was getting ready to fill it with cold tea when he remembered the man wanted hot. Cursing himself under his breath, he dumped out the ice and reached for the tea cups and saucers, and a metal pitcher. 

He took the cup and hot water to the table, setting it down. "One hot tea." He stood for a moment and watched the man peer at the cup over his tablet. 

"Is the tea bag extra?" 

"What? Oh!" Kylo hurried behind the counter and grabbed a tea bag out of the box. 

"Sorry about that." He muttered, watching as the tea bag was opened, placed in the cup, and the water poured over it. 

There was another long pause, as Kylo couldn't help but notice the ethereal coloring of his skin. Then the man volunteered, "I'm ready to give you my order." 

"Yes?" 

Long, slender fingers picked up the menu and pointed to the "Burgers and More" section of the menu. There was another pause. "Did you want to write this down?" 

Kylo often didn't bother writing anything down until he needed to put the order in; he had no problem remembering. "No, go ahead." He replied automatically. 

A thin red eyebrow rose, but he continued with his order. "I'd like the turkey burger with coleslaw, and a fruit salad. You do have fruit salad today? I know that's an item most places don't always keep on hand." 

"No, no. We should be good." Kylo smiled. He took the offered menu back, and went to the section of the counter in front of the grill. He pulled out his pad and pen and went to write the order out for the grill cook. 

He realized he had no idea what the man had ordered. 

"Fuck." He breathed out. 

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, looking at him from the other side of the counter. 

"Um, I can't remember what he asked for." Kylo couldn't feel his face. He had never, not once, forgotten an order. Even Rose looked shocked. 

Then her face broke out into a grin. "Love struck, Kylo?" 

"What?" He stuttered, mortified as much about that as forgetting an order. He looked over at the table the redhead was at, and found him turned in his seat, watching. He almost certainly knew what had happened. Kylo took a deep breath and said "Fuck" again. 

At that moment, the tiny, ancient lady that ran the register walked past. "He looks like a turkey burger to me." She said flippantly, not even slowing down. 

Kylo nearly collapsed in relief. "Thanks Maz. Yeah, turkey burger, slaw and fruit salad." He scribbled it down and slid it over to Rose, who picked it up, still grinning. She wasn't going to let that go. 

Heading back to the kitchen, Kylo stuck his head in the swinging door. "Thani, please tell me you have fruit salad today." They generally did, but it would be just his luck. 

"Yeah, last I checked." Thannison wiped his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder, then reached down to open the mini fridge under his metal workspace. Kylo held his breath as he reached in and grabbed a container. He shook it and nodded. "Yup, we're good." 

Kylo sighed in relief for the second time and said "I need one for a burger." He backed out of the kitchen, then immediately pushed back in, almost bumping into Rex the dishwasher, as he was handing off a stack of ceramic bowls to Thannison. "Oops, sorry! Thani, I need a slaw, too." 

He was barely back out in the dining room before Rose called him. "What do they want on the turkey burger?" 

Kylo cursed himself. "I'll go ask." 

As he made his way back up front, B-4 flagged him down. "Could I get another drink?" As he took their empty glass, the other person at the table asked for a side of extra pickles for their burger. 

"Sure." He continued back to C2, preparing to meet the man that had him so off-balance. He really needed to get his shit together. He took a breath. 

The man looked up from his work, glasses glinting in the low light. "I asked for a turkey burger." 

"Oh no, we're good on that. Turkey burger, slaw, fruit salad. I uh, just forgot to ask what you wanted on it." 

"I suppose just tomato and onion. Do you have red onion, by chance?" 

"Yup." Kylo answered, then turned and walked back to Rose. He closed his eyes and had to think a moment. When he opened them again Rose was smirking at him. She was enjoying this, far too much. 

"What's he want?" 

Kylo ran the conversation over in his head. "Tomato and onion, but he wants red." 

Rose motioned back to the kitchen. "Thani's got the red. This is just about done." She turned back, pulling out two slices of tomato from her bins and adding it to the waiting, toasted bun. 

Realizing he still was holding the empty drink, Kylo refilled it and took it back to its table. He took a quick look around, then went to wait for the burger. 

Rose turned and saw him standing. "Did you get my onion?" 

"Right." He stuck his head back through the swinging door. He held a hand out as Thani said "here you go" and offered him two bowls. 

"Can I get some red onion for a burger, too?" 

Thani paused for a moment, giving him a strange look. He turned and opened his fridge again. "You ok?" 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" 

Slapping a full slice of red onion on a plate, he handed it off to Kylo's free hand. "You're just being awfully polite." 

Kylo ignored him pointedly and backed out. He gave Rose the plate; she separated the rings and added it to the burger. She passed off the dish and watched while he arranged the side dishes on the plate. "Go get 'em, tiger." 

Kylo glared. "You sound like Maz." 

"Thank you!" She called to him as he strode away. 

"Ah, that didn't take very long." The redhead looked up from his tablet, then moved it so Kylo could place his plate in front of him. He took a moment to look under the bun and inspect his sides. There was a long moment where Kylo just stood watching him. Finally he looked up. "Could I get some silverware, please?" 

"Oh!" Kylo patted his pockets. "I'll be right back." 

He had just dropped off the silverware when B-4 waved at him again. "Pickles?" 

"Right! Right." 

Pickles finally delivered, Kylo seated two more tables and hoped he was finally back together. 

He was not. 

Twice he heard a sound he almost never heard: Rose hitting her little bell (ding!), and yelling "order up!" She looked like she was enjoying herself immensely. 

It was a Tuesday, so the lunch rush wasn't overwhelming. But Kylo found himself running a lot more than usual, because he remembered one thing, but forgot another, or even returned with an asked for item, only to realize they were going to need something else soon. He could hardly keep his mind on what he was doing, and off the man sitting at C2. A few times he caught himself admiring the length of the back of his neck as he leaned over his tablet, and once overflowed tea all over the floor (and his shoes) in the process. 

Luckily, the rush was almost over by the time Kylo made his way back to the table. He could hear Maz ringing up a few of his regulars as he checked in. There was some quiet murmuring, and he somehow just knew he was the subject of it. 

"Everything OK here?" 

Primly wiping his mouth with his paper napkin, he answered, "yes, this is quite good. Not many people know how to cook a turkey burger and not make it dry. My compliments." His eyes flashed up at Kylo; he couldn't quite tell what color they were. Grey? Blue? Green? He almost forgot to answer. 

"Oh! Uh, good. Yeah, I'll pass that along." 

"Are you new here?"

Kylo's brows drew together in confusion. "No, I've worked here for over two years." Was it possible the man was an evening regular? He was certain he had never seen him in for lunch or breakfast before. 

"Oh. Are things always this . . . Chaotic?" He asked, very politely. 

Kylo felt his ears burning. He wasn't asking if he was new, but if he was inexperienced. "No, not normally. Things usually run a lot smoother around here." The redhead looked doubtful, so Kylo quickly added, "you can ask anyone. Almost everyone in here right now is one of my regulars." He motioned to the rest of the tables, and they both looked. 

Half the restaurant was looking back. A few people were smiling, knowingly. 

Kylo swiveled back around, squeezing his eyes closed and biting his lip for a moment. He let out a long sigh and looked at Hux again. 

The man looked puzzled, then met Kylo's eye again. "Then, what happened today? If I might ask." 

Before he could even think, Kylo blurted out, "you!" 

His eyes widened in surprise behind the glasses. "Well. I don't know what to say to that. I'm sorry?" 

At first he had thought he should redirect, but instead he found himself leaning in. "It's certainly not your fault that you're distractingly gorgeous." He held his breath. 

Those mysteriously colored eyes looked thoughtful for a moment. Finally, he gave Kylo a tiny smile, and said "well, I do have to admit, the view in here is certainly very intriguing. Shouldn't you get that?" 

"What?" Kylo felt a touch of whiplash at the sudden switch. Then he realized Rose's bell had rung. "Oh, yeah, uh. Yeah." 

He delivered the order to A5, then found twenty other things to do as his lovely customer made his way slowly through the rest of his lunch. He had bused all the empty tables and restocked them, before he had the nerve to venture back over. 

"Would you, uh, like anything else?" 

"No, thank you." He replied, sitting back with a satisfied smile. "That was delicious, and exactly what I needed." He eyed Kylo with an odd look. 

"Well," Kylo said as he pulled out the pad and tore off the customer copy, "I'm really glad to hear that. I hope you come back. Very soon." 

Taking the check, he smiled. "I believe I will. The food is delicious. And the service, quite entertaining." Even through the glasses he had a mischievous glint. 

Kylo couldn't help but blush again, torn between the obvious interest, and mortification at the show he must have put on. He turned back to the cash register to see Maz smiling at him. She winked behind her thick glasses.

Catching his breath, Kylo turned back to the table. "Well. Uh. Have a great day." The man pushed his chair out. 

Standing, he was almost as tall a Kylo, and looked him directly in the eye as he said "I will." Then he lingered for just a moment, his eyes wandering freely over Kylo's face. He smiled slightly as the blush once again overtook Kylo's cheeks. 

Without another word he took his check up the register, reaching for his wallet and speaking softly to Maz. 

Kylo turned his head and couldn't help glaring at the rest of his customers, who failed miserably at looking innocent after having been caught being nosy. He huffed and cleared the dishes from the table, noisily dropping them into Rex's bucket. 

The door rang and Kylo caught a glimpse of the redhead as he disappeared from view. 

Sighing heavily, Kylo took his rag from the soapy water bowl and went to wipe down C2. 

As he approached, he could see there was a slip of paper lying on it. 

With a quick glance at Maz, who was fiddling with her drawer but also smiling, he picked it up. It was the customer copy that should have been on Maz's spike. On the back there was a phone number and a note in neat block letters. 

"My name is Hux, feel free to give me a call or text. Thought It would be better if I wrote it down." There was no smiley face, but Kylo could practically hear it. He glanced around, then turned so his back was to everyone else in the dining room. He was smiling broadly and knew his cheeks were red, again. 

When it had finally grown quiet enough that Kylo could hear the radio playing in the background, he went behind the counter and pulled out his phone. He texted: 

K: hey, it's your forgetful waiter. I'm Kylo 

He held his phone and looked around the room for a minute. There was only one table, B4; they had plenty to drink and were chatting happily over their food. His phone vibrated. 

H: nice to meet you. I'm glad you texted 

Smiling, Kylo focused on his phone again. 

K: does this mean you don't want to wait until lunch to see me again? 

H: perhaps 

K: coffee? I get off at 4 

H: on one condition 

K: ?? 

H: you put it on your calendar, so you don't forget 

Kylo huffed a laugh, then agreed. Once they had decided a time and place, he added it to the calendar on his phone, with a reminder alarm for good measure. 

*** **

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to Pearl, the Possibly not-as-ancient-as-Maz lady that ran the cash register at the first restaurant I worked in (seriously, I am pretty sure she was in her nineties. Her daughter had grey hair). She was Atilla the Hun of the register, and the regulars all knew never to disagree with her. 
> 
> I was intimidated by Pearl for months, until she made some snide remark to me, then smirked. Right then I realized she was just as full of shit as the rest of us. We were quite friendly after that, and probably caused the manager and the owner a couple of headaches. 🤣🤣


End file.
